Chance & Circumstance
by Andhera
Summary: Cagalli is a teacher riddled with secrets. Athrun is a soldier armed with the patience and perseverance to unravel them. Their's is a journey to realize that sometimes the greatest relationships are the ones built against the odds with everything they've got.
1. Chapter 1

For the first hour of her day Cagalli was as bitter as her first cup of black coffee. In another world, she was shooting laser beams out of her pupils at her fractured reflection in the television screen. This was only simulated in this one, which failed to adequately drain the aggravation of having to wake up so early from her. Falling asleep on the couch for the fourth week in a row had placed a permanent crick in her neck.

She looked uncharacteristically haggard for a young person. Unhappiness had added a decade to her face over the last ten months. Cagalli mumbled profanity into the rim of her large mug recalling her recent string of heavily romantic dreams modeled after Calvin Klein perfume advertisements and late-night dramas. She was discovering bitterness to be a vicious disease that feasted cannibalistically to multiply. She needed to cancel her cable, and start sleeping on a mattress again, if she had any hope of recovering.

It was late by the time was out of her sleepy stupor and rushed through the remainder of her morning routine. At work the radio crooned slow jazz as she worked meticulously at grading book reports with assembly line efficiency. As a high school student, she often wondered how her English teachers thought they could truly appreciate their students' work in the limited time they devoted to smattering red ink on pages of hard labour. As an English teacher she realized that repetition bred efficiency; and the sad truth that most high school students' rarely produced work worthy of appreciation.

Cagalli's over-grown blonde fringe usually fell into her face for about half an hour before her colleagues assumed the routine task of distracting her with irrelevant gossip. Today she'd only gotten about twenty-two minutes of annoyance with her fringe and she realized every passing week snipped away a fraction of this precious alone time. She mixed hot chocolate into the remnants of her coffee as she listened to the office gossip under the guise of participation. To her chagrin, she'd grown quite fond of the poor man's Mocha Lattes. Her lips pursed in fond memory of a time when she had standards even for simple things like his.

"Any reason you're not opening your class early as usual this morning, Miss Yula?" Cagalli hated most things about Miss Boudazza, the Head of the English Department at this school. She was tall and slender with a figure that made most twenty year olds envious. The only tell tale signs of her age were the few wrinkles that charted the corners of her eyes and lips and the city chic silver bob she sported. To Cagalli's frustration, she was blessed with a voice like velvet, which was always a pleasure to hear even if it was strictly chiding her.

"Just keeping my finger on the pulse, Ma'am," she responded curtly, almost succeeding in her attempt to keep her insubordinate undertones out of her voice.

"I don't believe that's part of your paid job description, is it?"

Cagalli could not remember what she had done to get on this frustrating woman's naughty list, but she knew better than to stay and argue. She swept the morning's teaching materials into her arms and quickly departed without the grace expected of a lithe blonde. She had been spending her days introspecting, hoping to find a cure for her unhappiness. The gradual demise of her enthusiasm began about ten months ago, after 18 enjoyable months spent in these hallways. She had become a time bomb, slowly ticking away at the minutes of her happiness. Sometimes, in the quite of stilled darkness, she could hear her unhappiness. It sounded like a metronome that kept track of all the beats she did not play for.

Her morning classroom had large windows that overlooked the small lake behind the school. The cross-country team's usual track followed the circumference of the lake and the rowing team's boats were docked at the pier extending out from the north end. This was her favourite of all the rooms she taught in. She often wished she could open one of the windows and let the breeze in to add a touch of freshness that these halls and classes lacked. Alas, it was rare to have large windows that opened in buildings as old as this.

The warning bell broke her peaceful solitude before students did. She usually counted on a couple of her students to present themselves early with the youthful vigour that blooms into accelerated escalation through a very prominent corporate ladder. Today, those students were away at a debate competition with hopes of collecting accolades that would add another cornerstone to their formidable university applications.

Cagalli took her seat at the front edge of her desk. Students filed into the classroom, some greeting her along the way.

"Good Morning Mrs. Yula," they said in the midst of the cluttered din of metal chair legs scratching against polished linoleum. It wasn't too long ago when she walked nonchalantly past her teachers, greeting them with incorrect prefixes.

The ambient noise in the room rose with the number of students sauntering into the class. It subsided briefly for the national anthem and picked up as the Principal's morning announcements progressed, failing to cease upon their completion.

As she did with every morning class, Cagalli wrestled to gain control of her students who were more excited by their social calendars and Internet memes than they were with her curriculum. After all, this was "only English", a subject which paled in importance when compared to the sciences and the mathematics, or business and technology.

"Today we'll be discussing…" Eyes casually drifted her way but the conversation continued. Cagalli's eye twitched betraying her overwhelming frustration at the situation. Her emotional response was an overreaction to the circumstance, but the moment was serving as an outlet for months of accumulated dissatisfaction and defeat. She was one who did was she was told and what was socially comfortable and acceptable, but in these recent days she felt like a doormat. Her frustration made her wildly jealous of her students who could wake up later and sleep earlier than she could. They didn't need to listen to unsolicited chiding from Miss Boudazza for reasons that even she didn't understand. They were spared the agony of reading poorly written essays, which butchered the English language, one of the few things she cherished anymore. Language, in her opinion, was the foundation of civilization. All the other studies were secondary because knowledge was meaningless without the ability to communicate it. The disregard for English in lieu of sparing efforts and attention for the "more important" studies had her worn thin.

She was unhappy and exhausted, and exhausted of unhappy. In a moment of heightened self-pity, she walked over to the door and slammed it shut. The force resonated through the walls and the floor, which coupled with the sound, startled her students silent.

"I hear another syllable about anything unrelated to my curriculum for the next hour, and – mark me - I _will_ traumatize you," Her voice was low and her eyes were steely and narrow. Cagalli could not believe her behavior, but she felt powerless to change it. She watched as the monster that lived deep inside her surfaced to alleviate some of the repressed tension she had collected over time. A banter broke between her and the voices of her students, some meek, some confused, some belligerent.

"Did you just threaten us?"

"Is that rhetorical?"

"What?"

"What self-respecting high school student doesn't know what a rhetorical question is?"

"I don't think you can talk to us like we're dumb."

"Actually, I can talk to you however I want."

"Well, I'll report you!" Multiples clambered resonating fear and conviction throughout the room.

Cagalli smiled with malice, amused by how perturbed her students were and by how easy it was to break free from the mould she'd created for herself. "Oh? And who would you complain to?"

"The Principal."

"And how exactly would that go?"

"Mrs. Yula was making fun of Philip because he asked a question."

"What question did he ask?"

The girl struggled to articulate her snark, but realized that "What?" was not a substantive question. Cagalli paused long enough to drive her point home before adding, "Anyone else want to take a stab at telling me how to do my job properly?"

The screech of a chair dragging along the floor dimmed the chatter. A tall, lanky ginger rose from his chair like the Lochness monster emerging from black waters. He was halfway to the door before Cagalli challenged him, "Seiichi, are you planning to conduct today's lesson plan?"

He tucked a lock of his shoulder length hair behind his ear. "And what would today's lesson plan be? Authoritarian ridicule?" A pause and the amusement settled in her lips mildly provoked him, "If I wanted to play games, I'd babysit my little nephew."

"Afraid you can't cut it at the adult table?" The class watched in awe as one of their own took on the hungry lioness.

"Even if I wanted to try, there isn't one here, so…"

"Suit yourself." Cagalli conceded, waiting until he was at the door before adding, "A masked coward is a coward the same."

"Excuse me?" The offence was too subtle for the students but apparent to Cagalli..

"Isn't that what cowards do? Run away? Are you afraid you may actually like a class for a change?"

"Please, you're, what? Going through some kind of hormonal spike which makes you interesting in passing. You don't have what it takes to actually keep this up. Chances are when your coffee wears off you'll panic and give everybody and A- on their assignments to compensate them for their fleeting discomfort."

"Son of a bitch," Cagalli's voice was tempered and muted, but her shoe had gone from her foot to her hand and was on its way to Seiichi's face. His athletic reflexes saved him from the loafer whizzing past his ear. His eyes widened, which was a sight that nobody in that class had seen before. Everybody stared in awe as he debuted his brand of surprised.

After a pregnant pause, he pompously accused, "Why the hell would you aim for my face!?" When Cagalli did not whip a snarky response back, he noticed her standing dumbfounded and embarrassed on one leg. Temper had drained from her face and blood rushed to take its place. It was a few seconds for him to realize the open door and the equally dumbfounded stranger standing in its doorway with a hand between his face and Cagalli's shoe.

Seiichi's loud voice had hooked the head of the department and reeled her into the class. "Miss Yula! What _are_ you doing?"

"I-I-I-I-I..." she stuttered, utterly mortified. She bit hard into the inside of her cheek to check if she was dreaming and the overwhelming pain that stung at her eyes delivered bad news. "I'm so very sorry." She was apologizing to the unidentified man holding her shoe, although the head of the department misinterpreted that for an apology for being rowdy and clumsy.

"Please, Miss Yula, buy shoes that fit you and keep your students," She glared at Seiichi, seething at the sight of his long auburn hair, "in check!" And with that, she returned to her classroom, closing the door behind her.

Of all the pauses that cluttered this morning, this was the longest and the most uncomfortable. Students were too flabbergasted to be amused. Even Seiichi, the resident troublemaker, was speechless.

The handsome stranger broke the silence. "Seiichi, was it?" to which the redhead raised an eyebrow. "A caution from experience: don't ever provoke a woman whom you suspect of going through a hormonal spike. It's the worst wrath known to man." Turning to Cagalli, he continued, "I believe this belongs to you?"

His voice was mildly deep and throaty forming airy words that quietly filled the room. She held his stare, trying to reroute the blood from her cheeks to her brain. "Yes." "Shit," she thought to herself, finally to her senses. Her eyes darted to Seiichi who seemed to have just found his tongue. "Seiichi, get back to your seat, _now_." Her orders contained a nervous fervour noticed only by Seiichi and the stranger. He obliged swiftly, for belligerent as he was, he had the sense not to cross Cagalli when she was under duress, especially after being warned.

"I'm so sorry you were caught in the crossfire," she bowed as per custom, conveying the sincerity of her remorse.

The stranger chuckled with good nature. "I wasn't really expecting crossfire at a high school."

"Of course not!" Cagalli immediately agreed, still taut with tension. She expected him to leave, assuming he had been lost when she assaulted him with footwear.

"I'm here to audit your class," he explained, holding out his hand, a small friendly smile on his face.

Instead of meeting his hand, hers went directly to her face. "Murphy…" she grumbled with a mix of hysteria, rage and self-pity. She was careful to be quiet, but he was close enough to hear her and smart enough to understand what she meant.

"Athrun Zala." His hand remained outstretched patiented.

She briefly took his hand, her handshake surprisingly firm for her flustered demeanour. "Cagalli Yula. Please sit wherever you like. If you find a student in your preferred seat, stare at him uncomfortably until he moves." She hoped the joke would lighten her mood. Embarrassment was a lead weight today, making her feel too heavy to care for anything more than sleep.

"I'll be fine, Thank you."

"Of course you will."

Athrun attempts to put Cagalli at ease were not successful.

He occupied an empty seat at the very back of the class. Cagalli had never been audited before and the uncertainty of what was expected of her was making her uncomfortable. This time she caught herself slipping back into her tendency to perform to suspected expectations and stopped herself.

The room was overflowing with thoughts. Half the students were still trying to process the shenanigans of the morning and half the girls were giggling over their good-looking guest. A couple of the girls attempted to flirt with him through their looks and their gestures, but he paid them no attention. He was very focused on the teacher conducting the class.

When Athrun had reluctantly agreed to this assignment, he was convinced that he had been doomed for long days filled with boring monotony and lessons that had little to no practical value. So far, the experience was delightfully disappointing.

Cagalli was uncomfortable with the undivided attention she was receiving from everybody in the class. This was a novel experience for a teacher in a class filled with sophomores. Freshmen were different; they maintained their fear of God and teachers, but two semesters was all it took for them to realize that their parents would loudly lobby against any teacher that had the strength of character to deviate from the Stepford Wives system of educating that the school had gotten into the nasty habit of.

Athrun misunderstood her discomfort and tried once more to reassure her. "You don't have to be so nervous just because I'm here." However, the blank piece of paper before him and a pen at the ready was having the opposite effect.

"It's not nervousness," she insisted despite the block of lead in her stomach. She tried hard not to focus on the audit, the auditor. (It did not help that he was easy on the eyes.) and the simple fact that she may have killed her career with a shoe that she bought only because it was on clearance. Impulse shopping never helped anyone.

"Then continue with your lesson." He suggested the obvious.

She raised an eyebrow, unsure how to take the unsolicited advice. She decided, especially given her mood today, that it was offensive. "I advise you to heed the cautionary wisdom you imparted on Seiichi earlier, Mr. Zala." She's already stabbed her career in the back. What harm could come from turning the knife?

"I have the sole of your shoe imprinted on my palm. What else could you have in store for me?" Athrun teased sharing a fleeting moment of uncharacteristic comfort with a new acquaintance.

Cagalli's eyes communicated what her words would not. "If only you knew," was what they said, but she chose to continue with her class instead. Her students protested with a unanimous groan when she introduced her topic for today, "Let's take a short break from literary analysis and go back to structural basics."

"We already know the basics, Ma'am. How else would we have made it into high school?"

"Fair enough. Lets do a short verbal quiz on English syntax, and when you guys prove to me that you've got a sophomore understanding of structure and grammar, I'll give you the rest of the class off and we'll go back to analyses tomorrow." The slight cheer that rang through the room was cut short when Cagalli asked "First question: What was the verb tense of the question that Charlene asked?"

The class continued in this way, with Cagalli formulating questions from the sentences of the students' responses. The remainder of the hour passed without anybody noticing the time or the auditor who silently took note of both the quality of the education and the qualities of the educator.

Cagalli was pleased that by the time the bell had rung, her students were immersed in the discussion and had forgotten this was supposed to be a quiz and they were striving to get out of class early. Still, she had only dismissed her class 30 seconds ago and it was already empty. Seiichi was the last one out and patted her on the back, whispering "Solid A-." That was a long way up from the consistent F she'd been getting for the past three months. A smile charted her face as she acknowledged today as a battle won. Winning the war would take a lot more effort and time.

"I don't remember high school being like this at all." Cagalli nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice. Athrun smiled at how transparently her body communicated her emotions. "I think even I learned something."

"You know, I can't remember what it was like for me today. But sometimes it doesn't matter. Its easy to forget how to be innovative when I'm subconsciously trying to mimic teachers from a decade ago. Sometimes we teachers forget that the defining factors of teenagers changes over time." She felt a warm pulse inside her and it reminded her of happiness. It was tiny yet, but it was a good place to start.

"I think you can definitely check off 'Was Innovative' from today's To-Do List. Discipline by footwear was definitely a first for me." He made his way to the front of the class with his papers tucked under his arm.

She laughed nervously, a touch of pink colouring her cheeks. "Yeah, well, again I'm really sorry about that. Seiichi's athletic reflexes are infamous and how much damage could a rubber sole do anyway."

Athrun laughed, showing her the faint imprint still lingering on his palm. "Sufficient damage I would say, especially when you throw like a pissed off girl." Cagalli smiled, appreciating him for giving credit where credit was due instead of generalizing all females as weak. "Besides, it's nice that you're so close to your students. At least you know there'll be one positive thing in my report."

"Great." Cagalli rolled her eyes, gathering her untouched teaching materials in her arms and making her way to the door. "Although, for the ethical purpose of full disclosure, I'm not in the least close to my students." She paused at the door, "After you, the next class in here isn't mine and the teacher should be here shortly."

"Oh, sorry," He moved past the students lined outside the door quickly and watched as Cagalli let them in, teasing some of the students she had taught previously.

"They're so adorable when they're still young and naïve." Her eyes contained a vivacity had not seen in years.

"The fact that you see teenagers as human is probably what makes you a great high school teacher. And for what its worth, at least you seem close to them. I'm sure they appreciate it. Like that boy from your class just now…" Athrun paused to remember his name.

"Oh, you mean Seiichi?" He nodded. "He's different. We're more like friends instead of student and teacher. He doesn't really like people, but he likes popularity. So he pretends to be insolent to please the masses. It doesn't take long to figure out that nobody is Seiichi's teacher. That leaves only two options really: to be delusional about who holds the power in the relationship or levelling the playing field by being his friend." Cagalli explained, beginning to walk towards the English office.

"That's…" Athrun struggled to find an adequate response quickly following her. What Cagalli was describing was well beyond her job description; it could also put her in a situation where she could harm her career if accusations of favourtism were made against her.

"That's the job. Or at least, that the way I want to do my job. I know, I know, it's walking the shady line between the two sides of professional, but I do my best not to let bias filter in. And, to be fair, there are worse offenders who wander these halls. The only difference is, they latch onto the keen, book smart brownnosers which seems to be socially acceptable."

"Some of those in every organization."

"Really? I'm having a hard time visualizing what a brownnosing auditor looks like. Isn't the job basically about anti-brownnosing? Although I suppose every corporate chain could have them, but it just seems weird to live in such duality."

"Well, actually, this isn't my day job so I know surprisingly little about the secret corporate culture of auditors."

"Well, with your penchant for drama I'm surprised that you're not the male lead on a soap opera. Although, seeing as you're still here, and second classes have started already, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you have no idea where you're going next."

"You would not be wrong about that." Athrun made a mental note to have a full day's schedule from tomorrow.

Cagalli sighed realizing she would not have those book reports marked by her deadline. She felt morally obliged to make sure Athrun was well treated at the school because his first impression here was horrendous and she was solely responsible for it. "Well, give me a minute to put away my things and I'll help you find where you're supposed to be."

Athrun agreed gratefully, although he was almost certain he could find his way. The office they entered was cooler than the hallways. A large fan quietly circulated air throughout the empty room. Aside from the air, everything in the room seemed antiquated and stale. He was surprised that the office didn't have more a feminine touch, considering all the English teachers in the school were women.

"You can say it; this is a dump. None of us seem to get along very well and the room wears that tense attitude very well. We're really good at pretending we do though, so you'll have to guard that secret with your life."

"Since keeping secrets is my day job, I think I can manage that. Just for you though. I hear this from anyone else and it'll be in the headlines." Such obvious flirting was uncharacteristic of him and he wasn't sure why he could do it so naturally. But, for better or worse, she seemed to gauge it as platonic, which put him at ease for now.

"What is this day job you speak so mysteriously of? And if you say 'I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you' I'd be thoroughly disappointed by your lack of ingenuity."

Athrun's face fell slightly even though he laughed it off. "I work for the military, and, since I know you're going to ask, I'm here because I didn't want to take my vacation days and when they forced me to, I vented my frustration to the wrong person who decided she could employ me since I didn't want the days off anyway."

"Isn't that considered slave labour?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow, smirking at the stupidity of the situation.

"If you asked her, I'm certain she'd label it as volunteering." Cagalli laughed at the clever response. Her laughter was like tiny bells in the hundreds, all ringing marginally off-beat from each other. It was an infectious sound.

"She sounds interesting to say the least. But, I'm afraid story time has to end here. I really need to get some marking done, which I can't start until you're well settled in your next class."

"I appreciate you taking the time, then."

"You have a surprising air of drama for a soldier." She expected short radio speak from professional militants, not diplomatic etiquette. She ushered him out of the office and locked the door behind them. "The office is in the other wing, so lets go left."

They walked in silence for a few moments. Athrun did not lag behind Cagalli despite her unannounced turns. Anticipating another person's movement was second nature to him from his years of military training. To a third person his intuition would seem almost psychic. They'd also be able to see the silence was making him very uncomfortable.

"Something smells nice in this hallway." He said, out of the blue, in hope of triggering a conversation.

"Might be the lotion," Cagalli suggested holding up her wrist. "It has a nice, soothing fragrance."

He pulled her arm closer to his face. "Mm, it does. What is it?"

"Cucumber melon, I think? It was limited edition body lotion. It's my favourite, though Meer, one of the other English teachers, brought it because she was going to throw it away." The insignificant details did not matter to Athrun, but he was glad to be rid of the silence.

Before he had the change to release Cagalli's hand, Seiichi emerged from the boy's washroom, catching the pair holding hands and leisurely sauntering through the halls. He let the door slam shut behind him to catch their attention. Athrun dropped her hand and flinched when the loud bang startled them.

"You don't waste a second, do you Miss Yula," Seiichi said innocently, with a subtle emphasis on the prefix, Miss.

Cagalli's initial response was confusion, although Athrun immediately looked away quickly realizing Seiichi's innuendo. The blonde quickly clued into the situation when she recognized Athrun's reaction and indignantly denied any romance between them. "It's not like," she started, turning toward Seiichi who had already started down the hallway returning to his class.

"It's okay Miss Yula," he stressed the 'Miss' intentionally for a second time, "A teacher needn't be accountable to her students about her personal interests!" He yelled back. Tomorrow, she'd be front page gossip across the school for seducing a man with her shoe.

Cagalli took a deep breath to calm herself as she watched Seiichi disappear around a corner. "It's just like him," she sighed, emptying her lungs of air, "convoluting things to amuse himself, deaf to any explanations that exist in reality."

"You look like a child whose candy was snatched away by an older delinquent." Amusement shone in his green eyes.

"Well, of course you think so. You'll be old news in a matter of days, whereas I'll still be here being discussed like a page six celebrity." Cagalli led him into a stairwell where her dread echoed back to her.

"I know where the main office is, if you prefer returning to your office." He offered feeling very guilty over the small matter. She seemed so troubled by what had just happened and her change in attitude seemed a bit extreme to him.

"We're halfway there already. And, really, what could possibly happen that could be worse than Seiichi spreading a rumour about me." Cagalli's forced herself to smile, trying to lift her mood. Her morning had started off very well for the first time in a long time, and she wanted to maintain the momentum. "And if you say something ridiculously formal like how you appreciate my efforts, I will punch you like a pissed off girl." She punctuated with a grin.

"Well..." Surprise created a stutter in his fluid voice. "Then, I'll just say thank you, and see you later." They turned the corner towards the main office a moment later.

Cagalli waved to him as he disappeared into the secretary's cubicle. She then returned to marking her book reports and teaching the rest of her classes. The two didn't cross paths for the rest of the day.

When she got home that evening, Seiichi was waiting for her. Like a stray dog, he was perched on the floor outside her door, his arms dangling over his knees. He was likely taking a nap behind his closed eyes. She shook her head, contemplating whether she really wanted to wake him. But at this point she really had no choice if she wanted to enter her apartment.

She approached him slowly and gently kicked his shoes, hoping the jolt would wake him up. "Do you need to be fed puppy?" She mocked him with the adoration of an older sister.

His hands sleepy shot up to the sides of his head in an effort to mimic dog's ears. "Woof."

"Do you promise not to talk about Athrun?" She asked with the underlying threat of starvation.

Seiichi laughed, amused by the question. "Hell no."

She sighed, fighting the urge to bury her face into her palm. He was let in regardless, because Cagalli would never have the heart to dismiss him. Seiichi occasionally would show up at her doorstep when he ran out of money to buy food. She'd never asked him about his family because if he hadn't told her yet, it was because he didn't want to. Asking pointed questions would not get her any answers unless he wanted to share. She had pieced together that he lived by himself, and as a teenager responsible for himself, he was too poor to feed himself sometimes, usually at the end of the month. She was still trying to solve the mystery of how he acquired his tuition, but often found herself better off for not knowing.

"How about pasta?" She asked, kicking off her shoes and heading straight for her couch. She hadn't a culinary gene in her body and Seiichi did her a favour by occasionally eating here because he made fabulous leftovers.

"Sure," He shrugged, donning an apron and beginning to chip away at making dinner. "So, what's the scene with Athrun?"

To Cagalli everybody was addressed by his or her first names. While Seiichi held up the pretences of society, he did not give regard or respect for age and accomplishments. She did not force him to pretend with her because she understood how exhausting an undertaking it was maintain such a constant façade and believed everybody needed occasional refuge from it.

"There is no scene."

"Really? You were holding hands when I walked out of the bathroom."

"We were not. You're deliberately misrepresenting what you saw."

"What I saw was his hand wrapped around yours. Bring me a Bible and I'll swear to it."

"You'd swear to anything on a Bible because you're not Christian and it means nothing to you."

"That's just a technicality."

"It's a pretty important technicality." She tried to change the subject. "What are you putting in the pasta? Can I have carrots?"

"You know, it's weird to like carrots in pasta," Seiichi pointed out, and they talked about food until it was prepared and served at the coffee table with the evening news flickering across the television. It wasn't long before Seiichi revisited the prior conversation.

"Fine, if I'm misinterpreting, then what was actually happening?"

She took her time to respond under the guise of meticulously chewing her dinner. "He liked the smell of that cucumber melon lotion I've been obsessed with."

He turned down the television to shift the focus on their conversation. "And that required physical contact because?"

"He smelled 'something nice' in the hallway and I suggested that it might be my lotion and I held out my arm because I'd just slathered some on. I mean who doesn't like the smell of cucumber melon!? It's so appropriately summer refreshing. And so he probably took a hold of my hand so that my arm wouldn't hit his nose. After all, I think we can agree I had sicked enough physical abuse on him for the day." She was oblivious to the obvious innocent romance hidden in her story.

A Cheshire cat grin conquered Seiichi's face. "So, your hand was in his because he was smelling your skin?" Cagalli nodded as she finished the last of her dinner. Before she could speak, he interjected with, "That's so incredibly erotic. It's giving me goosebumps."

"What!?" She waved her fork at him with exasperation. "It is not."

"Cagalli," Seiichi turned to look at her. His expression was serious and concerned with a small hint of pity, as though she'd just announced a diagnosis of a terminal illness. He took the fork out of her hand, careful not to let their skin make contact. Cagalli's eyes darted to follow Seiichi's every move. He leaned in close to her till she could feel his breath on her face. His fingers curled around the high pile carpet lining the floor, making a distinctive tense sound. He closed his eyes and sighed softly, but it rang loudly through her ears because their cheeks were so close they were almost touching. The hairs on the back of her neck began to lift and a shiver almost travelled down her spine before he gently whispered into her ear. She waited with wide-eyed anticipation, trying to predict what trickery Seiichi was plotting.

"It's so cute how naïve you are. I can hear your heart pounding Cagalli, even though I'm not touching you. Eroticism lies in the little details."

The blood drained from her face and she pushed him away. To add to her embarrassment, he leaned back laughing. "Get out." Her voice was low and seethed with rage.

He hastily got off the floor, not able to control his laughter.

"You really need to get laid soon Cagalli. This naiveté isn't good for your soul."

She chased him out of her apartment.

"And don't ever come back!"


	2. Chapter 2

Cagalli was late the next morning. She sported dark, sagging circles around her eyes and no amount of caffeine helped. She did not sleep thanks to Seiichi's charade last night. She felt vile for responding, however marginally, to a student's seduction. The fact that it was Seiichi made the whole situation that much harder to digest because of their off-hours relationship.

She looked forward to the solidarity of the empty classroom. It would distract her from her homicidal scheming. Everybody in the English office was wildly curious about her late night, wondering who her mystery man was. The line of interrogation made her all the more awkward about Seiichi's stunt.

It was as though he was born with a sixth sense about how to make people uncomfortable. There was no other explanation for why he'd be at school early when he was in a habit of being either absent or late.

"Looks like someone didn't get any sleep last night." Seiichi's greeting was smug and Cagalli wanted to lead him to detention by the ear for his snark. The only reason he continued was because they both knew she had no way of explaining what had happened in her apartment last night without being banned from teaching ever again. Teachers were always liable for good judgement.

"How can I help you this morning Seiichi?" Cagalli ignored his taunt and spoke to him like she would any other student. She had a creative writing class to teach first thing in the morning and Seiichi was in her class. She had a strong suspicion that he would require her attention till class began and she rationed her patience.

"I need some help with a scene in my short story." He started, taking a seat in the front row. "I'm a little stuck."

"Go on," she said with genuine interest, hopeful that this conversation was actually about homework.

"I've built up this preliminary tension between the two protagonists," She was wrong; he was clever enough to find a way to talk about it at work without getting either of them in trouble or losing his back-up meal plan. "But I'm not sure how to proceed."

Cagalli stood up and closed the door to the room. "Are you really going to write about this?"

"Why not? It a legitimate exploration of a modern relationship focused on dysfunction." He spoke with an air of scholarly jargon.

"Dysfunction?" She sighed, taking a seat on the edge of her table, leaving some distance between them.

"Yeah, it's pretty interesting. If I had to pick one focal character, it would be the female lead. She's upbeat, lots of fun, probably an eight on her bad days, but very guarded. She's been guarded for so long that she's pretty clueless when it comes to boys even though she's whip smart."

"Seiichi," Cagalli tried to cut him off, but he continued without pause for her comments.

"Then I introduce an incredibly handsome man. Seriously, I'd say he's better looking than her. He's funny and patient, and although I haven't built his interest in her very obviously yet, I'm hoping to go there. But I'm not entirely sure how to move both characters forward into a relationship rather than a holding pattern. How would you suggest I proceed?"

Cagalli maintained a long silence while she processed everything he'd just said. "What drives the female to be guarded?"

Seiichi was surprised by the question because it was so level headed and obvious. He hadn't thought about it yet. "I don't know…"

"You can't really know how to progress a relationship until you've determined the underlying driving factors of your major character. For instance, a girl who is guarded because her parents got divorced in her teens after a loving relationship will be differently motivated from one who was raped at a party by a friend and then shamed for being promiscuous. Until you know why your character is guarded, you can't know whether a relationship is even realistic." She managed to keep her explanation very academic, trying her hardest not to relate the story to her life as Seiichi wanted to.

"That's really complex character development…" Seiichi contemplated his assignment for a brief second before realizing he was being distracted from his main objective.

"If your central focus isn't the plot of the story, it will usually require fairly thorough character sketches." Cagalli explained, "Developing character sketches is something that we're going to discuss today, if you'd like to just wait till class."

"Okay, that sounds good." Seiichi conceded, gathering up his notes. "So, now that we've discussed work, lets talk play."

Cagalli sighed, trying to control her rising irritation, "Look, Seiichi, there are times when you just leave matters alone before they blow up in your face." He nodded in agreement. "So…you better leave this matter of the scented lotion, erotic or otherwise, alone before my temper blows up in your face."

Seiichi expected the bluntness given her sleep deprivation. "Believe it or not, I'm not talking about the lotion."

"Then what is it that is so interesting that you are willing to write your short story assignment based on this insignificant situation?" She crossed her arms defensively. "…Because I know how much you love writing exciting plots and that you consider character studies dreary and boring."

Seiichi shrugged in a rare moment when he wasn't exactly able to articulate his point adequately. "I feel something..."

She interrupted his slow drawl with, "Then maybe you are the one who's in love with him." Her statement, devoid of tone, cut right through him.

"I'm not." He affirmed, "Although the prospect is certainly amusing. And I'm not saying that you're in love with him either."

"Then, what are you getting at?" The question shocked him as it spoke to the heart of her problem.

"Please," he emphasized the word, "tell me that your concept of a relationship does not exclusively involve love-at-first-sight."

"No." She responded with conviction. "Why would you even think that?"

After a long pause, when the spinning of Seiichi's mental cogs made Cagalli very uncomfortable, he exclaimed, "Oh my god, _you_ think you might love him. This is a real love at first brush moment in your head, isn't it!?"

"What!? That's preposterous!"

"Why else would you even mention love when the normal thing to talk about is butterflies fluttering about various parts of your body?"

"I really don't want to talk about this."

"Come on Cagalli, how long are you going to play out this charade of being too independent for companionship? A relationship doesn't make you weak."

She was livid at the personal territory he was forcing her to discuss. She wasn't sure how much of her rage was directed at Seiichi for being so harsh and how much of it was reserved for herself for the years of soft mollycoddling she pampered herself to, till she lost her sense of trust. "We're at school Seiichi, which is not the place for this conversation."

"You know, you keep telling yourself that it's never the right time or place and you'll become an old maid that I'll have to check up on in your old age." Something about his words were comforting. Maybe it was the prospect that Seiichi was planning to be there for years to come, at least in theory, so that she would not be alone.

A soft bitter laugh left her lips. "You know, you can't say that I'm friendless and that you're going be around in my old age to take care of me in the same conversation. That's very contradictory." Seiichi inaugurated a blush, unaware that he'd betrayed his fondness for Cagalli to her. "And I may be cautious, but I'm not quite the lost case that you make me out to me. I can handle myself in mixed company if I wanted to. I choose not to."

"Well, if you're so capable, I need a favour. Consider it proof that may sway me to leave you alone."

"Fine, what do you want to do? Go to a bar in another part of the city and watch me seduce someone?"

He laughed softly at the image of Cagalli stumbling her way through a bar trying to innocently seduce men who would naturally be drawn to her genuine charm. "I have a more interesting prospect. The school board is hosting a black tie gathering on Friday night. I was nominated to represent our student body and I have an extra ticket with no claim to it."

"So, let me get my facts straight. You want me to prove that I can be a vixen in a group of my peers and supervisors at a very formal dinner in a three days."

"About sums it up."

"After this fiasco, you're going to leave me alone about my romantic affairs?"

"Oh, we'll see about that."

Before Cagalli had the opportunity to reconsider, the bell had rung and Seiichi began making his way to his desk. She busied herself organizing her lesson plan in an attempt to distract herself from the apprehension that began to coil inside her stomach. Although she vaguely recalled how to be a seductress from her college days, the mere thought embarrassed her for she was years out of practice. Perhaps Seiichi was right in his accusation that she was too protective of herself.

"Good morning Miss Yula," a student chimed as she walked by. What immediately struck her was that this particular student had been calling her "Mrs. Yula" for months, only to suddenly make the switch to "Miss Yula". Seiichi had a busy night it seemed. Whispers passed through the class as the anthem and the Principal's announcements blared over the PA system.

"We're going to discuss creating character sketches today." She took a seat at the edge of her table. She found standing to be too cumbersome and sitting in her chair to be too distant from the rest of her class. "Although there is a long while before your short stories are due, I would like to diversify from plot-based stories to allow you the opportunity to choose to write a character-centric story should you choose. And in order to write one, you'll need to create character sketches that have depth and integrity."

"You look like you got some real good depth last night Mrs. Y," a senior from the back row said, turning quite a few faces across the class pink. This senior was in her junior Creative Writing class because he was courting a sophomore, who like Seiichi was taking an advanced class for her age. She didn't care much for his vulgar attitude, but she was fond of his girlfriend and managed to be patient with him on those grounds.

"Oh honey, I doubt you comprehend what 'real good depth' even is, since you seem to lack the facilities to do so." The class was stunned silent by her provocative and condescending response.

His eyes narrowed as he kissed his teeth. "Please. Your pretty little Prince has nothing on this." He gestured inappropriately, using his arrogance as a shield towards her insults.

Seiichi decided to step in, concerned that their earlier conversation was responsible for Cagalli's lack of patience. "Well, Miss Yula, you never mentioned he was a Prince; or is he just your Prince?"

She capitalized on the opportunity he provided to vent her frustration at their prior conversation, at having to attend a formality she wasn't interested in and most of all, at his constant nagging taunts. She marched up to Seiichi's desk, her body rigid with anger, and wrenched him out of his seat by the collar of his dishevelled uniform. Her eyes were narrow and her face was mere inches away from his. Part of him was terrified, and the remainder of him maintained composure. "Can you hear my pulse now?" Her voice was low in volume and register as she paid homage to his skit from last night.

Seiichi capitalized on an opportunity that luck presented him with. "Ah, Good morning Mr. Zala. Will you be joining us today?"

"Good morning Miss Yula. I see that class is progressing as per usual." Seiichi's savoir stood at the front of the class in amused observance. The way he smiled at her made Cagalli change her mind about him. He was not just pretty; he was extraordinarily handsome and it infuriated her. "What's the topic of today's class?"

"We were just talking about Miss Yula and you, and the great time you had last night." Seiichi didn't skip a beat with his straightforward answer. Athrun raised an eyebrow at Cagalli, who hadn't had a moment to speak yet, and she shrugged her shoulders in defeat, gesturing for him to find a seat. Although she had no explanation for him, Seiichi was quick to fill in the blank. "Well, it is a Creative Writing class and we're studying character sketches."

"Ah, so you turned to Miss Yula to model your calm and collected young heroine after." Athrun noted gravely from his post. For some reason he found himself compelled to tease the pretty blonde despite being generally courteous with new acquaintances.

"Oh, don't let the first few impressions fool you, Sir," Seiichi warned, "Miss Yula can certainly be wild when needed, if you're ever looking for a challenge."

The innuendo took both adults by surprise although Athrun was much more skilled at concealing it. As Cagalli seemed to be at a tipping point with her patience, Athrun made the wise decision to end their banter. "Seiichi, I doubt I am worthy of such an honour." He couldn't help but leak a small smile and a quick glance at Cagalli. Seiichi looked very pleased with himself while the rest of the class gaped with amusement.

"Athrun," She started quietly, her voice mimicking a forceful crescendo, "Take a seat now." If words were weapons, that final word pierced his heart. He swiftly moved to the seat beside Seiichi, which was probably bad judgement on his part. Silence washed over the class and amusement drained from everyone's faces. "Since I can no longer conveniently pretend that you're 'not here' after that wonderful conversation Mr. Zala, for the time that you are inside my classroom you will be treated as my students are. It is only fair considering you are quite comfortable behaving as they do. As a student of this class, you will do all of the assigned work and readings, as well as participate in any classroom discussions. You will also be equally susceptible to punishment as these charming young people are."

"You know I'm here to audit your performance," Athrun protested, "I can't possibly-"

"Seiichi manages to get the highest grades in the class, complete all the work and grade my performance and he's merely 15." Cagalli interjected. "Are you telling me you are less capable than a 15 year old?" When Athrun failed to respond she continued, "Great. Welcome to the class of Creative Writing. Should you be around next week, Seiichi is also in my Literature class. We convene at 8:30 am on Monday in room B135. We would love your company while we study contemporary literature as well." She wore a cunning smile. "I'll save you a seat next to Seiichi, in case you join us."

"Yes, Ma'am," Athrun shortly responded, organizing himself to keep up with the class and audit her simultaneously. He was in shock at the authoritative language she had used with him. Not even his superiors in the military had spoken to him in such a commanding tone for many long years now. Yet, this woman had the audacity to believe that she could control him. He wasn't sure if she deserved merit or a failing assessment.

"You're the first classmate I've had who's worn a suit to class," Seiichi whispered to him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I didn't say you could talk." She threw a piece of chalk at Seiichi, who could not dodge it quickly enough.

The rest of her class unfolded exactly according to her lesson plan until it was dismissed. Her students couldn't leave the room soon enough and she could not blame them for fleeing. She had been uncharacteristically strict, which continued for the remainder of the week. By Friday, her reputation had changed from being a sweet and malleable, to briefly love struck, to The Iron Witch.

After her morning class on Friday, Cagalli had the rest of the day off. In the afternoon, her students were taking a CPR course and her help was not needed. Her pre-lunch class had gone without much turbulence. This was possibly because neither Seiichi nor Athrun were a part of her English as a Second Language Class. Seiichi was too fluent, and Athrun must have been placed in another class thanks to some much needed divine intervention. Her week since her Creative Writing class had been devoid of the auditor in question, for which she was grateful. She had not thought of him much in the week because nobody dared mention him in her presence, not even Seiichi.

She was thinking about him momentarily as she idly marked a short grammar quiz. She recollected small details that were so insignificant she wondered why she registered them. It was rationalized down to Meer's long, animated story about him having audited not one, but two of her morning classes. She was over the moon and described to Cagalli his every move as it was forever recorded in her memory. Here was a woman who was crazy about him. If only Seiichi could be a fly on the office wall to see how many dozens of women wanted a piece of this man.

Cagalli finally conceded to her distracting thoughts and packed up to leave for the weekend. She had an appointment to keep and she wanted to leave before Meer trapped her in another mundane conversation. Years ago she was introduced to a specialty boutique which made a reputation out of preparing both men and women for prestigious events. She had dug out their contact information from her black book and was relieved that they were able to accommodate her on short notice. She would be early if she headed there right away but she was certain they could use all the extra time. After all, it had been a few years since her last appearance at a ball and she was probably barbaric by their standards.

Cagalli made a deliberate attempt to be late. She wanted to arrive after Seiichi and as he had not mentioned a time, she let an hour pass before making an entrance. She took the time to practice walking in her long dress and tall hells. He wasn't responding to her texts, which began to worry her since she could not spot him. She walked weightlessly across the large room. Beautiful people decorated the large space. Women danced in elegant gowns accompanied by men in handsome cashmere suits. Everybody in the room looked at ease, as though the grand hall was their living room. She felt surprisingly at ease in the foreign setting.

A waiter with drinks approached her and she chose a tall champagne flute. It had been years since she'd sampled well-made champagne. Her teacher's salary could only afford her boxed wines. She was starting to feel uncomfortable standing awkwardly by herself in the middle of a party, but she couldn't find anybody she recognized. Although she expected to be the fresh face at the event, she did not expect Seiichi to be so late, or to be standing alone, dressed in couture and designer shoes, for very long.

As she scanned the room for a conversation she could join, the banter among the crowd subsided. Cagalli turned to see what had captured everyone's attention. At the top of the stairs, she saw a gorgeous woman who was a mirror image of Meer with nicer hair and social grace. She was adorned in satin and tulle with the colour and iridescence of amethyst. Her hair was a soft, pale pink and flowed down her open back collecting in ringlets at her hips. Cagalli was mesmerized by her physical beauty and momentarily missed the man who was at her arm. He wore a navy suit, which hung perfectly on his athletic physique. Even at a distance she knew he had handsome features. Together, they looked impeccable, as if they were created to complement each other.

It wasn't until they were closer that she recognized him. Her face did not betray her surprise, and she chided herself for not recognizing the midnight hair and the green eyes. She had not expected him here because he wasn't part of the education business. She'd be certain he was stalking her if he didn't have such a lovely companion. She scanned the room for Seiichi again, hoping to goad about her new discovery. It would serve to drain her of the irritation and disappointment she felt at the knowledge.

She downed what was left of the champagne as a waiter with the drinks engaged her in a small conversation. He recommended the champagne and she knew from experience that it was delectable. She excitedly recognized one of the other men who approached them for a drink as her long lost mentor. He was the person who had taught her the most valuable lessons regarding teaching when she was an apprentice. As they revisited their memories in tandem, the waiter politely excused himself, weaving his way through the crowd until all his drinks were expended. He quickly ducked into the front entrance to check if the front guards would like something to drink but noticed they were busy dealing with an uninvited guest and made a mental note to check back later.

"Please, you don't understand. My future is staked on attending this party," Seiichi pleaded with the guards, after arriving over two hours late. Normally, he would not have bothered attending and have settled for being lectured on Monday by the vice principal on his duties as an important student representative. However, Cagalli would end him if he did not show up and he was curious to see her in action. He hoped against the odds that she did not decide on the pantsuit that she normally wore to PTA nights. Whatever she wore, Seiichi was certain she'd be the center of attention tonight; he just doubted if it would be for any good reasons.

The guard firmly held him back, "I'm sorry Sir, you are too late."

Seiichi was considering making a run for it, when he heard his rescuer. "Its okay, he's with me," a familiar voice interrupted the desperate conversation. Athrun, standing a few feet away, motioned the guards to let him through. To Seiichi's relief, the guards immediately obliged.

Seiichi was genuinely grateful to Athrun for his help. "Thanks a lot. I'd be in a lot of trouble if you didn't come along."

"It's nice to see you're a troublemaker where ever you go." Athrun smiled furrowing his eyebrows when Seiichi reached for a drink. Upon noticing, the young student promptly returned the glass sheepishly.

"I am a very consistent person." He assured with a cheeky smile, "I create trouble regardless of time and place."

"I can see that," Athrun picked up a glass of flavoured soda from a waiter whizzing by. He offered it to Seiichi who was scanning the crowd. "Looking for someone?" He followed Seiichi's gaze, wondering who he could be looking for. A few moments later, the teenager had stopped following him and stood in his place, his gaze fixed in one direction. Athrun curiously followed Seiichi's line of sight.

"Oh man," Athrun could feel Seiichi stiffen as he found what he was looking for. "I'm in trouble." His attention returned to delinquent before tracing his stare. Seiichi firmly tapped Athrun's arm. "_You're_ in trouble."

At the end of their stares was Cagalli, standing tall and radiant surrounded by a small group of people who were entirely enamoured by her. Pale yellow silk hugged her torso and fell to the floor from her hips. Athrun could not believe how small her waist was. Her hair was effortlessly gathered at the nape of her neck in a simple bun, which created an elegant line with her exposed spine. The plunge back of her dress framed the soft lines of her shoulder blades in a sunflower satin. One of the women she was speaking to lightly lifted her finger to examine the stack of pearls on her neck, making Cagalli blush as she explained something about the piece.

"Yeah, you're definitely in trouble." Seiichi teased Athrun who could not seem to peel his eyes from her.

"I should get back to my table" He trailed off, refusing the bait Seiichi had laid in front of him. Seiichi nodded and advanced on the blonde. A waiter walked by with a drink tray to inform him that dinner would be served in 10 minutes. Athrun politely thanked him and selected something stronger than his usual drink.

His attention returned to Cagalli who was suavely engaged in a heated verbal battle with her favourite student. Seiichi stood next to her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, frustrated at her composure as he tried to tease his pretty teacher. They had the undivided attention of the crowd, which seemed to be growing in numbers, everyone eager to be seated in their vicinity. A gentle smile surfaced on his lips as he quietly watched her from a distance.

"Why don't you ask them to join us at our table?" A soft, melodic voice to his right asked.

"Why?" His eyes didn't stray from the comedic duo.

"Because they seem to have a rare hold on your attention."

"Oh," Athrun turned to face his company, "It's because she's very peculiar."

"She?" Lacus asked slyly, raising an eyebrow. "I was talking about both of them. They seem to have the crowd in rapture. But that doesn't matter now. Who is _she_?"

Athrun shook his head at Lacus whose habit for matchmaking was surfacing. "She's a teacher at that school you have me auditing. I've sat through a couple of her classes."

"And?" He had Lacus' interest, much to his dismay.

"She has an interesting teaching style." Athrun was hoping his former fiancée would drop the topic.

"I see." Lacus smiled at Athrun, "Well, I would love to meet her after dinner tonight, given she's so interesting."

Although Lacus had dropped the issue and stood by him silently, Athrun had a sinking feeling that he was going to inevitably get caught up in one of Lacus' schemes. He was grateful for the long dinner, which was spent in the company of boring white-collar gentlemen and their trophy wives discussing everything but the country's education system. Perhaps by the dessert course, Lacus would forget all about his interest in Cagalli.

A live band took center stage as the tea and coffee was being served, serenading the guests with soft music. Couples began spotting the dance floor once more. Lacus turned to Athrun, thoroughly bored with the worldly conversation at this table. Leaning into his ear, she whispered, "Now seems like a perfect time to be introduced to your dynamic duo." Before waiting for a response from him, she politely requested that she and Athrun be excused from the dinner table.

"I believe they are this way," she guided him toward their table, and he reluctantly led the way.

Seiichi's teasing was the first thing they heard from the pair. "I didn't know you could use cutlery." Cagalli bit into the last of her chicken, neatly laying the fork and knife across the plate, indicating to the bus staff that she was done.

"You know Seiichi," She locked eyes with a well-built coach across the table who had filled her in on all his sports accomplishments that culminated in a career as a gym teacher. "I can do a lot of things you don't know about." Cagalli said innocently, with enough subtext to have him reaching for his iced tea.

Seiichi was impressed by how she was handling herself at the dinner. She had proved him wrong because he knew at least seven men in the room who would leave their lives behind for her if she gave them the chance. He pulled her attention back to him by brushing her arm and leaning in to whisper loudly enough for the table to hear "You should really teach me more than just English sometime."

Cagalli chuckled, refusing the cake a waiter tried serving her, "I'm not interested in playdates darling, but come find me in five years and we'll see." She winked at him, a smug smile playing at her lips. The table broke out in laughter and Seiichi knew Cagalli has won this round. He needed to scheme adequate revenge because she had purposely misled him.

"Why Miss Attha, I didn't know you to be so forward." An amused voice teased the blonde and she promptly blushed upon recognizing the voice.

More laughter went around the table and a few women around the table heckled Cagalli for being soft on their new guest. She felt extremely uncomfortable with Seiichi seated to her right and Athrun standing to her left because she no longer knew how to act. She was playing a persona tonight, to win a bet against Seiichi, and she did not expect familiar company in close contact. She was hoping to conveniently avoid the aesthetically blessed pair all evening.

Seiichi rose from his seat to greet Athrun formally. "I warned you she had a wild side, Mr. Zala."

Cagalli eyebrow twitched realizing the tables had tuned on her. She stood as well, partly because the two boys towered over her, creating a nervous twist in her stomach, which didn't sit well with the chicken. She also noticed the beautiful host of the evening by Athrun's side. "Good Evening, I'm Cagalli."

Lacus graciously accepted her extended arm and reciprocated, "Lacus Clyne."

"Evening, Miss Clyne; never thought I'd get to personally speak to the Minister of Education." Seiichi greeted nonchalantly.

"Ah yes, Mister Kagami, isn't it?" She moved forward to shake the sophomore's hand.

Cagalli gently leaned towards Athrun for a brief sidebar as they caught up. "It's no wonder you're auditing us in your spare time. That's what you get for dating the Minister of Education."

He smiled, whispering back. "We're not dating."

"You certainly look like you are." She recalled their majestic entrance to which he replied, "Well, considering I'm a stand in for her boyfriend, I guess that's a good thing."

"You failed to mention that you were fast friends with the Minister of Education. How did you two meet?" Cagalli made casual conversation, amused as she watched Seiichi behave like a fanboy.

"We were engaged once." Athrun spoke so nonchalantly that Cagalli took a moment to register it.

"What!?" She exclaimed too loudly for their sidebar, gathering the attention of the table. Under pressure to respond to their inquisitive glances, she lied. "I was just surprised that Athrun has never heard this song before. It's one of my favourites." Most of the table nodded understandingly and returned to their respective discussions. Lacus and Seiichi maintained their interest.

"Would you like to dance?" Athrun held out his hand for her, recognizing the impish glint in Lacus' eyes.

"Sure," she agreed uncertainly, airily linking arms as he led her towards the dance floor, leaving Lacus and Seiichi to continue their private conversation.

Once they were on the other end of the dance floor next to the large French windows, Athrun pulled her close, starting with a simple step that kept up with the upbeat jazz rhythm. He did not want to overwhelm Cagalli who was nervous and probably a novice at partnered dances. She followed along smoothly, comfortable with his lead. They danced like this, close and in simple steps, until the end of the song.

"You forgot to mention you were engaged to the Minister of Education." From her tone he knew she was begrudged, but he didn't know why.

"Sorry. Its not the sort of thing that just comes up in conversation." Athrun pushed her outward for a twirl before pulling her closer. He noticed the way she smelled tonight, and wondered why he was so attuned to such silly things with Cagalli. "That's not your usual cucumber melon." He casually observed, hoping to shift the conversation.

"I didn't really want to come to a black tie event smelling like a fruit market." She admitted sheepishly. "I'm surprised you notice these things."

Athrun pulled her, gently tracing the curvature of her waist as he hid his rosy cheeks from her. "I guess it's because you always smell noticeably nice."

"Thanks." She leaned her cheek into his chest, happy to be away from Seiichi and the crowd of men she strung along tonight. They eventually lost count of how many songs had passed with them linked together in a slow paced movement.

"Your tie is beautiful." She said absently, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Athrun tightened his hold on her waist admiring how delicate it was. "Thank you."

"Your fiancée is gorgeous as well," Her glance lingered on the graceful host as she giggled with Seiichi. "You should keep a close eye on her or Seiichi might steal her away."

"Lacus?" He moved so that he would be able to see her, but more importantly so that Cagalli would stop focusing on her. "Seiichi isn't my problem, considering we're only friends."

"Don't you still love her?" Cagalli asked carefully.

"I do," he said, to which her chest tightened, "But I was never in love with her."

Cagalli arched an eyebrow. "The sex must have been great then."

Athrun's disgust at the thought was apparent on his face. "It was arranged by our families that we were betrothed, and it was officiated when we were barely teens." Athrun explained, "I have always loved her and been extremely protective of her, but I'd say that was a brotherly instinct."

"Oh," Cagalli was at a loss for words. "Sorry about the mental image then."

"I will warn Kira," Athrun said, eager to move past the horrible thought she'd planted.

"The boyfriend you're standing in for, I assume." She inquired, and Athrun nodded. "Lucky guy to be dating the prettiest of them all."

Athrun ran his finger along her bare spine, commanding her undivided attention. "You're not so bad yourself, Miss Yula."

Before she could bashfully reject his compliment, he twirled her across the large windows, her pearls absorbing the moon's light. Then he pulled her in close to him once more, to a place where she would be comfortable swaying in timid silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Somewhere, after they'd lost all sense of time, the band picked up the tempo with favourites from the decades. Cagalli, uninterested in swinging across the dance floor and constantly switching partners decided it'd be fun to swipe an entire drink tray from a waiter and camp out on the far balcony, where only the softest remnants of the upbeat tunes remained in the background.

"I can't believe you just lifted the tray away from the waiter, like it was the natural thing to do," Athrun laughed, setting down an empty flute. "And a champagne tray at that! Did you see the man's face?"

They were seated on the floor with the drinks sprawled out behind them. Athrun's legs dangled off the edge of the balcony while Cagalli's were tucked beside her. She giggled uncontrollably, unable to stop, at the recollection of shock and surprise on the waiter's face. He didn't deny her the tray despite her outlandish effort to relieve him of it. He merely watched as a prince would watch a thief making away with his crown.

"Are you feeling okay?" Athrun checked, feeling Cagalli's frame losing its rigidity as she leaned against him.

"It's been a while since I've been drinking." Her words were strung together with a slight slur. She felt cold, subconsciously clinging to faint heat she felt through Athrun's jacket. Evening gowns weren't meant to brave chilly nights. They were meant to slip off the body as easily as possible at the end of the night.

"Night-time is the prettiest." Cagalli announced, watching the twinkling skyline.

Athrun nodded in agreement a filled glass in his hand already. The bubbly liquor wasn't nearly as potent for him as it seemed for her. "I like this venue because you can still see the city lights, but see the stars too."

"That's amazing!" Cagalli was halfway into his lap by the time she got a good vantage to look at the star-filled sky. "I can't remember the last time I saw stars!" Her face was flush from the champagne, as she dazed away in the cool night breeze. "When was the last time you saw stars?"

"I see them every weekend." Athrun shrugged, supporting her as she folded out onto his lap, "But that just makes me admire them more. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger so that I could touch the stars."

Cagalli giggled, shifting her blurring vision to his face. "That is the cutest dream ever."

"Hey now," Athrun gave her an unappreciative look, "don't mock a man's precious childhood dream."

"I'm not mocking you. I think it's great." Cagalli said in earnest, "I mean, I wanted to be a dolphin when I was young. It's nice that you had an achievable dream."

Athrun laughed heartily at the confession. "Now _that_ is cute."

Cagalli huffed, crossing her arms defensively. "Hey! What happened to not mocking childhood dreams?"

"There are exceptions to every rule." Athrun confided. Cagalli was without remark because she couldn't decipher whether it was a compliment or an insult.

"I'll let that pass this once in lieu of the champagne," She muttered, pulling herself upright by a rung on the railing.

"Why thank you." He bowed his head slightly, going along with her charade. "Are you feeling cold?" He noticed she held a slight shiver in the absence of his body's heat.

"I'm fine." Cagalli felt the warm silky lining of Athrun's jacket despite her answer. "Why do men even bother asking if they're not going to listen anyway?"

"Probably the same reason women lie about not feeling cold when they do."

"Thank you," Cagalli smiled up at Athrun, "I probably need it."

"You're welcome," Athrun smiled back, "although if you can't feel the cold I should probably cut you off."

Two phones vibrating against her body interrupted Cagalli's protest. She fetched one from the inner pocket of the jacket and handed it to Athrun. "You've got mail."

While Athrun checked his phone, she pulled hers from her clutch to find a message from Seiichi. It read: "Go home if you want to. I'm making progress with Lacus." Cagalli's lips were pursed as she read. Seiichi needed to stop hunting for the attention of older women. Perhaps Lacus Clyne would be the woman to teach him a well-deserved lesson.

"Your ex needs to watch out for..." Cagalli trailed off as she looked at Athrun. His face was red as he punched a reply into his phone. She wondered what the message was about because she couldn't make out whether he was embarrassed or angry.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked Cagalli, sliding his phone shut. "I'm sick of this party."

Cagalli was put on the spot, knowing that she should probably escort Seiichi home. However, Athrun's frustration had her reconsidering because he looked like he could use the company. "I don't really have a choice, do I? You can't well leave without your jacket."

He couldn't help but smile at the unique affirmation. "I'd appreciate it very much if my jacket would leave with me." After all, a suit is sorely incomplete without one.

"Okay, you'll have a deal but only if you let me have the last drink."

"You drive a hard bargain…"

She upended the last flute into her mouth, leaving him no other option but retrospective agreement.

"This was totally worth the calories."

He helped her up and steadied her with an arm around her shoulders. She sank into him, drawn to the warmth his body held despite his flimsy shirt.

Cagalli found it difficult to walk in stilettoes with a bottle of champagne in her. "Wait, wait," she stumbled, taking a seat on the stairs as they walked by, "I'm going to break my ankle if I keep trying to walk in these. Although, the bigger crime would be damaging such a beautiful shoe."

"I didn't know you had such femininely nonsensical priorities." Athrun gently swept her into his arms, carrying her before she could get her shoes off.

"Oh, you're carrying me," She stated the obvious, "I'm really heavy. You probably shouldn't."

"If you can trust me with national security, I think you can expect me to be able to carry a hundred pounds." There was a slight undertone of offense in his response, but she had too much champagne in her head to catch it.

She randomly changed the subject, twirling her fingers as she idly fidgeted. "You dance well. Where did you learn how to dance? It's not really something boys do."

"I had to take dance lessons with Lacus when we were younger. I was a surprisingly quick study." He was amused by how tipsy that last glass had made her.

"Oh she must be a wonderful dancer!" Cagalli clasped her hands together, lost in a self-written fairytale.

"Actually, she sucked. She still really sucks."

"No way! She's the portrait of a lady."

"That's partial compensation for her gross inability to dance. She'll never dance with anyone except me or Kira."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Weird," Cagalli concluded. "She's like a princess and I've never really heard of one who can't dance. Is she a princess?"

"No, just the Minister of Education," He confirmed, to which Cagalli added, "And your ex-fiancée!"

"You're quite stuck on that, aren't you?" It puzzled him why she constantly talked about their former engagement, wondering if he wasn't seeing something she was.

"Well, Mister, it's not everyday you meet someone who passed on a girl like her." It was the typical disbelief of anybody he mentioned the story to, which is why it did not come up in conversation very often. Had it not been for their parents, the two would have never been engaged in the first place. "You know your way around here really well, don't you?" Cagalli interrupted his thoughts. He was carrying her across an expansive, perfectly manicured lawn.

"I told you I like this venue," Athrun reminded her, instinctively navigating his way through the gardens. "Every time anyone needs a venue for a big event like this one, I recommend this place."

"How'd you find it? It's quite off the beaten path."

"I grew up close to here. This place used to be something of an exclusive country club, mostly a group of very rich, close friends who needed an excuse to get together. When the club dissolved, an event management firm picked it up. My father was a part of that original country club."

"You used to come play here with your dad. How sweet."

"Yeah, it used to be. I got lost in here a lot. Which is why I know my way around really well. I don't think there is any corner of this estate I haven't explored. Incidentally, this is where Lacus used to massacre my feet during dance lessons."

Cagalli laughed at the thought. "She must be something else."

"Oh, she is _something_ all right."

"Its wonderful how close you remain."

"It is wonderful sometimes. Lacus is a busybody. She is extremely intelligent and cunning, refined skills she uses to manipulate people into strange scenarios. She's a sweetheart, but so dangerous at the same time. I always find myself on my toes when I'm around her, especially when she's bored."

Cagalli's expression surprised him, as though she knew what Lacus was like. "Probably not the best person to leave Seiichi with." She hadn't noticed when they entered a parking lot, but in the sea of cars, she surmised what Athrun would be driving. "Black Sports Car!" She declared as though a question had been asked.

"You are not wrong," he laughed, startled by her random exclamation. He gently placed her in the passenger seat of his car and buckled her in.

It took her a while to realize what she was sitting in, but the moment it sank in she shot up. The doors opened vertically and stretched out like the wings of an eagle. "Holy shit, you're rich. Well, of course you're rich, you were betrothed to somebody who ended up being a federal Minister. Holy shit, this car is beautiful." She whipped around to face him, her hand clamped on his arm with excitement. "Athrun, you have impeccable taste!"

"I like to think so." Athrun laughed, amused by how quickly Cagalli seemed to have sobered up and her capacity for childish enthusiasm and unfiltered rambling. "Now, which way to your house?"

"That would be a waste of your time. Just drop me off at the nearest stop on the night bus route." To this Athrun arched an eyebrow. Noticing the resistant expression, she articulated her logic. "You live around here. It's pointless for you to drive all the way back into the city just to drop me off. The bus will be heading in that direction anyway. Live green, right?"

"The key word there was 'live' not 'green'. And I used to live around here when I was growing up. I'm not really a rich hermit anymore."

"So, you're just rich I guess?" Cagalli teased Athrun by quoting him to sound haughtier than he was.

"I am not leaving you in the middle of nowhere at an isolated bus stop. Especially not wearing those shoes. Definitely not with more than a bottle of champagne in you. And no, I don't really care what self defense you've picked up at your local feminist yoga studio." Athrun was firm, partially as payback for the way she manhandled him during her Creative Writing class. Cagalli sunk back into her seat recognizing that he was a very loyal brand of protective and she would not win this round.

Her dramatic sigh was intentional, to inform him that she was letting him win this one. "I live on the South central fringes of Uptown."

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" Athrun's sarcasm teased her. He immediately put the car into gear and took off, jerking Cagalli back in her seat, so that he could have final say.

They drove in silence, enjoying the night breeze. Cagalli leaned her arm against the windowsill and used it to support her chin. She quietly watched the sparkling skyline as it whizzed by. The radio filled the silence with soft music. They were both off in their own worlds. Cagalli dissected why she felt more comfortable in Athrun's company than watching him from a distance; or why she had to consciously stop herself from thinking about him when he crept into her thoughts. The wind picked up the pieces of loose hair framing her face and whipped them back while the rest of her tightly pinned up hair yearned for a similar freedom. Athrun wondered how much of this spark between them was what Lacus was describing to him one evening as they dined as chemistry; the feeling of being naturally compatible, and always wanting to be with that someone because everything felt a little emptier otherwise.

"It's a lovely night for a drive," Cagalli mused, enjoying the turbulence rushing past her. "I envy you for being able to drive around like this whenever you want."

"We can take the scenic route back, if you'd like." From the looks of it, Cagalli was not expecting the invitation. They were fast approaching the turn off to the city and he needed an answer soon.

Her pause was almost too long, leaving Athrun in an uncomfortable position. If he drove on and she wanted to go home, it'd be at least a 40-minute detour for her. If he turned for the city he'd give her the impression that the invitation wasn't genuine. Her response was non-committal, leaving him to make the choice. "I don't want to impose…"

"Well, we've just passed the turn into the city, so at this point the real imposition would be not taking the scenic route." He decided driving the night away with her would be more fun than otherwise.

She smiled turning back to the cityscape. Within minutes it disappeared behind the mountains. She returned her attention to Athrun. "Thank you for indulging me. Public transport doesn't really have the same feel to it, not even the window seat."

"You don't drive?" The thought was unfathomable. He'd started driving years before driver's licenses were issued.

"Don't have a license," she shrugged, "And I'd rather have designer bags than insurance." Cagalli never imagined herself to grow into a woman who'd come to value femininity in the ways she did. She left university more of a butterfly than she'd expected, a development owed greatly to her failed fairytales.

"I can't believe you just said that." Athrun took offence on behalf of all consumer automobiles. "Did you actually compare this feeling to a purse!?"

"Everyday luxuries keep me sane; everybody has a thing, yours seems to be vehicles, mine is high end leather goods." She offered in explanation.

"You should take your hair down," He suggested. "It'll change your mind about driving, I'm sure it will."

"I guess your opinion on the matter is uniquely reliable." His dark bob looked liberated in the wind. "I wish I could take it down, but its pinned up pretty tight with millions of little bobby-pins. There is a lot behind-the-scenes of these simple, natural looks."

Athrun laughed lightly at Cagalli's exaggerated gestures. "Well, we can stop and I can help you disarm your hair if you'd like. It takes away from the scenic route if you can't fully enjoy it."

"Since you're driving and trying to convince me that I should buy a car, I probably have little say in whether we stop, don't I?" He seemed to agree because he pulled into the upcoming rest area.

Before she could undo her seatbelt, Athrun had opened her door for her, as though gentlemanly conduct was trained into him since birth. The night air had quickly sobered her and she exited the car with a grace that she'd long buried. He followed her to the lone picnic bench. The valley disappeared a few feet away from where they were standing, swallowed whole by the darkness. The dim lights of a few houses on the neighbouring mountain were flickering. Athrun took a seat on the table with his feet on the bench, motioning Cagalli to take a seat in front of him.

"I told you I'd help you get all that metal out of your hair." Athrun explained when Cagalli looked at him suspiciously.

Cagalli silently took a seat, peering in the darkness. She was so focused that Athrun wondered if she was mentally preparing herself for pain. "You should relax. It'll probably reduce the pain you'll feel." He assured.

"Nothing reduces the pain of removing so much metal from such little hair. Anticipation just makes it easier to bear." Cagalli bitterly added, "If the pain I went through when they were put in is any indication, I will try not to wake those people." She pointed in the direction of the houses where most of the lights were being switched off as people retired to bed.

Athrun wore a bewildered expression. "Why do you women torture yourselves so much?"

"Because we feel the dire need to look pretty for men." Cagalli responded without skipping a beat.

"I will never ask you to put so must metal in your hair that you get most local TV channels wired to your brain." Athrun solemnly vowed, pulling out a few pins and neatly smoothing out her hair. Sparkles flaked onto his hand, much to his amusement.

"I knew you were a keeper every since you didn't charge me with assault when we first met." Athrun continued to work silently, trying his best to make the process painless. Despite his efforts, he felt the blonde wincing every now and then.

"You're hair looks good when it's wavy." He tried to distract her.

"Really? I can't remember the last time it was wavy. I barely brush it."

"You wear unkempt very well then. Although, I guess I know what to get you for the holidays."

"What makes you think you'll even remember me at Christmas?"

"I don't think I'll be able to forget how you stole a waiter's livelihood by relieving him of his drink tray, even with years of therapy."

"You need more interesting company in your life."

"All the more reason for me to stick around."

"I'm flattered that you like me enough to keep me around!"

"I wouldn't go that far. More likely that I'm amused enough by you to tolerate your presence because you fill a certain requirement for entertainment in my life."

Cagalli kissed her teeth. "You're awful for someone who's still chivalrous."

"Can't beat the second nature that Lacus bullied into me."

"But you sure do compensate for it with your rapier wit."

"Hey, it's not my fault the sparkly hairspray seeped into your brain. You had to place a wholesale order for the quantity you used tonight, didn't you?"

He showed her his hands, which were shimmering with tiny silver confetti. Cagalli blushed at the close contact; Athrun had to wrap his arms around her to display his hands. He felt like a security blanket from her childhood and she allowed herself to enjoy the nostalgic feeling momentarily.

"You seem to like shiny things." Athrun forwardly laced his finger together instead of moving away.

"Who doesn't like the shiny!?" Cagalli sounded too enthusiastic about sticky confetti. "I mean, look at your car! You cannot deny that you like the shiny as much as the next person." She tilted her head as far back as possible and stared at Athrun expecting an answer. He gazed back with a smile pulling at his lips.

"You amuse me way too much." A foreign feeling coursed through his veins. He wanted her with a possessiveness he hadn't felt since he was a child.

"Here to serve those who serve us all." She saluted informally. Athrun broke eye contact hoping that she would not catch on to the innuendo he laced into her words.

Before she could tease him, he pulled away from her and nudged her off the bench. "Time to test drive the freedom of letting your hair down. I'm telling you, this experience will change your life."

"I think not," she insisted, following him back to the car, which Athrun had remotely started. She recognized the ballad on the radio as a favourite and hummed along with the guitar. "I love this song." Her steps morphed into a slow dance, swaying to the slow chords, singing to herself.

Athrun watched her as she swayed, lost in a world with just her song and the moonlight. She looked happy with a sincerity that made him lonely on the sidelines. She moved naturally, switching between humming and a cantata on whim. For a moment, she almost sang to him as she leaned against the cool metal of his car, allowing him to be a part of her escape from reality. "...and then she asked me, do you feel all right, And I said yes, I feel wonderful tonight.

He joined in, eventually recognizing the song from one of his mother's old records. "I feel wonderful because I see the love right in your eyes, and the wonder of it is that you just don't realize - how much I love you..."

Both their voices faded. They refused to look or touch or move for the remainder of the song. Cagalli's heartbeat was slow and percussive, ringing through from her temples to her toes. She was certain that it pounded through the body of the car to where Athrun stood a foot away from her. He looked as cool and unaffected as the night. He examined the sky with a careless air, enjoying the final chord of the soft serenade. Cagalli struggled to understand how he could change her physiology without even the faintest notice.

"Ready to be proven wrong?" He waited for the next song before disturbing her. He could still feel the silky blond hair at his fingertips and the smoothness of her skin in his palm. He spoke minimally for his heart felt on the verge of fibrillation.

Cagalli chuckled with a shake of her head. "Okay, you're up," she spoke more to metal than man. The turbulence played with her hair, relieving her of the lingering headache from her tightly pinned hair. She closed her eyes, enjoying the airy freedom of the wind seemingly travelling through her. Time and again, she would pipe up with an anecdote, never related to any prior ones, and he listened to her with vested interest. The storytelling put them at ease with each other once more. Time unravelled without their notice.

"Is it really past four in the morning?" She asked with a yawn, pulling his jacket tightly around her shoulders.

Athrun looked at the clock to confirm, fatigue settling in when he realized how early into the morning they were. "We should get you home." He looked around trying to place where they were and his eyes widened when he realized how far he'd driven. "We're hours out of the city!"

"You know this place?" Cagalli asked, looking at the acres of mountains and trees sprawling around her. The scenery looked as identifiable as the middle of nowhere.

Athrun nodded, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with one hand. He missed the warmth of his suit jacket, the chill of dawn air amplifying his fatigue. "Yeah, I drive here when I want to get away. It must be muscle memory by now. I'm really sorry. I should've been paying attention. I'll turn around as soon as I can. Why don't you sleep? I'll wake you up when we're back at the city."

Cagalli noticed his sallow skin and surmised he was exhausted. "I don't think that's the best idea." Athrun helped her point by yawning once more. "I'm sure there is somewhere we can stop for some sleep."

"This is prime real estate for people who want privacy and acreage. Unless you're fine with crashing at my friend's cottage, or want to curl up against a tree stump, we're out of luck." Athrun explained, waving in the general direction of the getaway cottage.

"I think the more pertinent question is whether your friend minds if I stay over, not vice versa." Cagalli relaxed her head against the seatback. Hints of indigo tugged at the seams of the sky. "I can sleep on a couch, I sleep anywhere, really. I'd rather not to sleep in dewy shrubbery in silk, but that's a matter of preference not necessity."

"Kira shouldn't mind and there are enough beds, unless you prefer couches," The turn off to the cottage was sooner than the closest U-turn. "Don't you need to get home?"

"My weekends are never eventful. I'm probably going to be grateful for the legitimate excuse to procrastinate chores." Cagalli's voice was weary and slow.

Athrun nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He was appreciative of Cagalli's long sentences. Conversation was an adequate substitute for caffeine when driving. She noticed his friend was on speed dial. It only made sense if a four AM call could result in last minute emergency accommodations in the middle of nowhere.

"You're lucky I wasn't in the middle of sex," was the greeting on the other end.

"Don't kid yourself, you don't last that long."

"What do you want?" Kira was disgruntled and sleepy, eager to return to his dreams.

"You're not at the cottage are you?" Athrun asked, taking a sharp right. He was certain that if they were at the cottage he'd have seen them pass by. He also had no doubts that Lacus would have stopped off at the look out point to make him uncomfortable about playing with Cagalli's hair. Kira grunted affirmatively. "Okay, I'm going to use it this weekend."

"Fine. Maybe we'll come by tomorrow so you don't get lonely." After a few whispers, he added, "Are you with a blonde?"

Athrun promptly hung up. "Good news for your silk dress." Within the minute they were at a large country estate.

"Lacus calls this their modest cottage," he introduced.

"She's clinically insane." Cagalli's response was deadpan and serious, despite the sarcasm.

"It actually makes sense if you get to know her taste in real estate," he defended her, punctuating the drive with an anecdote of his, "I actually though this property would be the thing that would destroy Lacus and Kira. He had bought this large piece of land with a tiny cottage as a getaway for 'The Boys'. They'd liked each other for years already, and although their relationship status wasn't very official, they were together for all we cared. Eventually, Lacus needed a small venue that was remote for some upper tier schmoozing and she thought Kira's cottage would be the perfect getaway. Of course, the original cottage was too small and too rustic for her intentions so she began this massive project to build and decorate this 'modest cottage'. I have no idea how they got through that one because Kira was furious at the proposition. I think the only reason they're still going strong is because Lacus kept the original cottage as a guesthouse to the new cottage."

"Clinically insane," Cagalli reiterated.

"It's another cute story in their long relationship. And to be fair, she doesn't come up here unless she's invited or has given fair warning of an upcoming social event."

"Hm, you are very soft on her," She wandered down a path that led to a front garden. "But, this place is gorgeous and peaceful, which I assume the original property was not."

"Don't wander around in the dark. We're on the edge of a cliff." He took her by the arm and pulled her in, pointing to the edge. She reflexively took Athrun's arm and upon realizing her white-knuckled grip, he took her by the shoulders and led her towards the entrance. The fatigue made it a struggle to maintain his composure with their proximity. A key on his key ring opened the front door and a hint of jealousy pulled at Cagalli's chest. She reminded herself that regardless of the feminine touch apparent in the design, this was a man cave. He had keys because this was his friend's cottage. Athrun took his time to take off his shoes and Cagalli hung up his suit jacket in the foyer after neatly arranging her shoes next to the doormat.

She watched his fingers as they loosened his tie, making haste with the top buttons of his shirt soon after. The moonlight accentuated the lean agility of his hands and they had captured all of her focus. To Athrun, she looked like a child, tired from a thrilling day at the amusement park, the sudden realization that her adrenaline had run dry settling into her posture. His hand gently raked through her hair once more.

"Can I kiss you?" He spoke softly to preserve the stillness of the moment. Butterflies moved through her stomach. Her feet grounded her into the soft carpet as her head tried to fly away. It was the perfect moment until Athrun ruined it. "Let's get some sleep," he suggested in response to her silence. His hand slid down her arm and her weight moved forward into the balls of her feet.

Their lips met just before he had the opportunity to turn away. Her eyelashes brushed his cheek as she pushed more firmly into his lips. Her hands held his face close as they kissed and he pulled her by the waist until she was against him. The thin material of cotton shirts and silk dresses did nothing to separate their bodies. Cagalli warmed him and he symbiotically cooled her flushed skin. The duality of their temperatures kept them pressed close.

His hands covered her exposed back, steering her into his lap as he took a seat on the stairs. Her skin felt smoother than her delicate dress. They kissed compactly and innocently until they were breathless.

"You're making it hard to be prude." She took short breaths, rearranging pieces of his hair with a short smile.

He took the compliment in stride, shifting the conversation to keep is lust at bay. "I better not have sparkly shit in my hair." His voice was smooth and sugary like whipped frosting.

Cagalli giggled, continuing to work away at pieces of his hair. "It's only natural to want stars against an azure canvas."

"Well, Miss Yula," he whispered, "Darkness can make predators of the best of us."

"Why Mr. Zala, you can read me like an open book."

He swallowed at the sultriness of her voice.

"We should sleep." She suggested, recognizing the worsening exhaustion in his body.

Thrilled for the excuse, he led her by hand up a flight of stairs where the bedrooms were. "So, even though this is practically a mansion, it was purposely designed with only two bedrooms. I assume you'll want the guest bedroom over Kira and Lacus' bedroom," to which she nodded.

When the lights were turned on, Cagalli could not withhold her sarcasm. "I don't think there are enough pillows." She counted 17 which were not decorative in purpose.

"Go big or go home is the unspoken motto Lacus lives by." He offered in explanation.

"I think the size of this supposed cottage and that bed speak volumes for her unspoken motto." Seven could sleep comfortably on the bed before her and at least 20 if she packed them in like sardines.

"There is sleepwear for you in one of these drawers." Athrun walked over to the large dresser near the window exploring the drawers until he came across the clothes Lacus had set aside for female guests. Cagalli caught a glimpse of the sleepwear that filled the open drawer. It was very well crafted delicate lingerie that was limited in its purpose.

"You are quite the connoisseur of fine lingerie."

"I should have guessed Lacus would have nothing but provocative lace and silk in here, the vindictive, scheming little child that she is sometimes."

"I'm sure I can find something wearable. Don't worry. If all else fails I can fashion a night gown out of one of the pillowcases."

"Allright Frauline Maria. But, I rest my case that Lacus is a naughty busybody, and I caution you againt any future meetings with her." He fetched a pair of his conservative pyjamas from another drawer. "I'm sorry about the awkwardness of this all. I don't know what pleasure Lacus gets from such endeavours since she's not even here to see the reactions."

"Perhaps she has cameras installed?" A pause. "Wait, that's worse, especially if you're to put these to use." She held up a chemise in virgin white silk with Chantilly lace along the hems, which would conceal nothing of the person wearing it.

"If you're wearing that I'd be inclined to stay in this room."

"You're welcome to if you want to. The bed's certainly big enough."

Athrun had been teasing her, but her offer was serious and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I'll change in the washroom." He disappeared into what she imagined to be a spa-standard ensuite as soon as he'd said those words.

Cagalli dug through the drawer looking for a nightgown in the tangle of sheer silk and intricate lace wondering if she had been too forward with her invitation. Despite her urge to reach for one of the men's pyjama sets Athrun had drawn from, she settled on a floor length nightgown which was the only opaque piece in the extensive collection of lingerie. In the far corner of a room was a modest vanity with a screen adjacent to it. She took cover behind the screen as she changed, finishing before Athrun emerged from the washroom.

He offered her a fresh toothbrush and they went about their night routines individually, taking advantage of the double sink in the luxurious ensuite bathroom. Cagalli helped herself to the products neatly lined in rows by height. She hadn't been privy to such luxury in a long time because it was not a good habit to form on a teacher's salary. She couldn't help but wonder how many other women were afforded his luxury at Athrun's expense. Why else would there be an abundance of feminine products available for female guests to use in a sanctuary for a group of men?

"I'm honestly surprised that Lacus had the foresight to send such an abundance of supplies with the housekeeper this week. I can't see how she could have predicted that there would be a girl staying here."

Cagalli was confused by the conversation Athrun had started. Perhaps he was taking to himself and she missed a part of the backstory when she was in the bathroom. Recognizing the confusion on her face, he elaborated for her.

"I've never seen feminine supplies in the bathroom here before today. I mean, the only reason it has two sinks is to maintain consistency with their ensuite because Lacus is particular about such details even though nobody else notices or cares. Occasionally when we crash here, it does come in handy because there are four of us and four sinks. But most of the time, we stay out in the guest cabin since its more our size and style.

"We were up here last weekend to help with some renovations and that pink display of bottles wasn't there. So its something she must have sent up with the housekeeper early this week, and I have no idea how she could have known. I mean, I didn't know you were coming to the event."

Cagalli took a seat next to him on the bed. Athrun likely shared in Lacus' psychic capabilities because he had put her at ease with his words without being told of her concern over his promiscuity.

"Next time you can ask me yourself to be sure."

"I don't know, you schooled me very strictly the last time we met and I never really had a thing for teacher."

"Hmm, so you ask to kiss women that you are not attracted to on whim I suppose?"

"Well, even the best of us have a hard time passing over the pretty, drunk blondes. And you can be very adorable when you're not being mean."

"I think… you have this secret closet inside your mind where you hide all your kinky fantasies about-"

Athrun placed a gentle kiss on Cagalli's lips, cutting her off before her soft, low voice brought any of those fantasies to the forefront of his brain. She was cued only to continue flirting at her own risk. She pulled away and began shuffling through a few pillows.

"Do you want to build a wall with all the extra pillows? We have enough to build here to build a decent fort."

"I guess if you don't think you have the self control to keep away from me, it wouldn't be a bad idea to build a fort to keep you out."

Cagalli lightly punched his arm, scowling.

"But, if you're a sleepwalker, you probably should sleep next to me. Otherwise you may walk off the cliff in your sleep and that sounds unnecessarily painful."

Cagalli fell face first into a pillow, yawning. "Fine, we can build a fort tomorrow, when you're less boring."

Athrun turned out the lights by a bedside switch. He gently stroked her hair to get her attention.

"Don't asphyxiate yourself in your sleep." He felt her warm body shift as she faced him. His hand continued to slowly work through her soft hair.

"Tonight was a lot of fun."

"That's one word to describe it."

She left a short, affectionate kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Mr. Zala."

"Sweet dreams, Miss Yula."

* * *

**Credits  
**Cover Art by Xiao Saio**  
**


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